Johnson, King & Moorehead to Anchor South Defensive Line in Senior BowlThe backbone of Alabama's dominating defense in 2002 -- defensive linemen Jarret Johnson, Kenny King and Kindal Moorehead -- will represent the Crimson Tide in the January 18 contest.

Friday, December 13, 2002

Jarret Johnson

MOBILE, Ala. -- A trio of defensive linemen which formed the backbone of Alabama's dominating defense this past season -- Jarret Johnson, Kenny King and Kindal Moorehead -- will do the same for the South's defense in the 2003 Senior Bowl, presented by Food World, game officials have announced.

The trio anchored a Crimson Tide defense in 2002 which led the SEC and ranked in the top five nationally in both total yards (257.3) and rushing yards (80.2) allowed per game. The defense also recorded a SEC-leading 54 quarterback sacks to rank in the top-five nationally in that department, as well.

All three are also considered excellent NFL draft prospects who should be among the first defensive linemen selected in April's draft.

"These three talented individuals formed possibly the most dominant defensive line in all of college football in 2002," said Senior Bowl President Steve Hale. "Obviously, we're very excited to be able to feature all three of these outstanding Alabama seniors in this year's Senior Bowl, as I'm sure many of our fans will enjoy the unique opportunity to see them play right here in Mobile."

An additional Alabama player -- running back Ahmaad Galloway -- was also officially invited to participate in this year's Senior Bowl earlier in the season, but will be unable to do so after suffering a season-ending knee injury against Southern Miss in September.

Named one of six permanent team captains following the season, Galloway rushed for 1,830 yards and scored 17 touchdowns during his career.

"Ahmaad earned an invitation to this year's Senior Bowl prior to his injury and, through no fault of his own, will be physically unable to participate in this year's game," said Hale. "However, we plan on being able to recognize him at some point during the Senior Bowl Week experience as he certainly deserves such an opportunity."

A native of Daphne, King was a first-team Coaches All-SEC selection following a stellar senior season which saw him record 51 tackles, three sacks, seven tackles for loss and 17 quarterback pressures.

A second-team All-SEC pick in 2001, the 6-5, 277-pounder is also a first-team 2002 CoSIDA/Verizon Academic All-American selection and two-time Academic All-SEC choice.

A four-year starter for the Crimson Tide, King earned first-team Freshman All-SEC honors during following his rookie campaign of 1999 when he recorded 50 tackles, 5.5 quarterback sacks and 19.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, the third best single season total in school history.

He finished his career with 190 total tackles, 11.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss for a total of 37.5 plays that accounted for 164 yards in lost yardage by opponents.

A dominating pass rusher, Moorehead finished his career as the school's all-time record holder in tackles for loss with 35. His 25 career quarterback sacks is also the second-highest total ever recorded by an Alabama player, trailing only Derrick Thomas' all-time school record of 52.

A 6-4, 304-pounder from Memphis, Tenn., Moorehead was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection who concluded his senior season as the SEC's career active sack leader.

He recorded 54 tackles, six tackles for loss, 19 quarterback hurries, and three pass break-ups in 2002, and added nine quarterback sacks to rank third in the SEC in that department.

Moorehead earned second-team All-SEC honors following a stellar sophomore season in 1999, then suffered a torn Achilles tendon in pre-season workouts prior to the 2000 campaign and was forced to miss the entire season.

He recovered from the injury to turn in a stellar junior season, which saw him make 41 tackles and 5.5 quarterbacks to earn first-team All-SEC honors.

Moorehead finished his career with 165 tackles to go along with 49 career stops behind the line of scrimmage for a minus 383 yards.

Johnson is a three-time All-SEC selection who recorded 52 tackles, five quarterback sacks, four tackles for loss and 20 quarterback pressures for the Alabama defense which held seven of its 13 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing during the season.

The 6-4, 287-pounder from Chiefland, Fla., also recorded 23 quarterback sacks during his career, which ranks as the third-highest total in Alabama history.

He closed out his career with 190 total tackles, 110 of them solos, three pass break-ups, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.

His 25 tackles for loss also ranks second all-time in school history behind Moorehead's record 35.

King, Johnson and Moorehead were also among the six Alabama seniors to receive the prestigious honor of being named a permanent team captain following the season.

Tickets to the 2003 Senior Bowl, set for January 18, are currently on sale at all area Food World locations, selected AmSouth Bank branches, Colonial Mall Bel Air and the Senior Bowl ticket office in the Adam's Mark Hotel. Tickets sell for $24, $18 and $12 each and can be purchased by calling the Senior Bowl ticket office at 251-432-4109 or ordered through the bowl's website at www.seniorbowl.com.